Unveiling Cort’s Hidden Updates
For over 50 years, Cort Guitars has been building guitars for musicians all around the world. The instruments we build are built for players of all levels. From the absolute beginner to the elite professional guitarist on the biggest concert stages, Cort has carefully crafted a guitar ideal for your playing needs.
As one of the industry’s leading manufacturers, we take immense pride in what we build. We strive to build a musical instrument that delivers the greatest experience possible. To do this, we are constantly improving our production methods and techniques. It’s the only way for us to ensure we are always getting better. We will always be mindful of our industries traditions, but this forward thinking makes us, our instruments, and your playing experience, better for years to come.
Here are four recent updates we have implemented into our production of steel string acoustics that you may have missed:
1. 25.5” (648mm) Scale Length
In recent years, the acoustic guitar has gained a new popularity. To align our models with current trends and player preferences, we have now changed the scale length to 25.5” (648mm). The 25.5” (648mm) scale length creates better string tension for bright articulate tones while providing a comfortable playing experience for the musician. Another benefit of the increased scale length is that the wider fret spacing allows for more comfortable playing for strummers, flat pickers, and fingerpickers alike. And that greater string tension? Modern string innovation has brought about better tension, improving the tone and feel of the strings while also improving the performance of the critical top piece of wood on the guitar body. All Cort steel string acoustic guitars are now built with the 25.5” (648mm) scale length.
2. Elixir® Strings
Speaking of string innovation, our flagship Masterpiece, Gold, and Core series of acoustic guitar continue to receive praise for their craftsmanship and performance from all over the world. To further enhance the feel, tone, and performance of these guitars, all Masterpiece, Gold, and Core series models are now built and shipped with Elixir® strings installed. We make great guitars. Elixir® makes great strings. The engineering team over at Elixir® have spent decades on string improvement and we feel that no one is making a more proper string for our flagship model than Elixir®. Their proprietary coating extends the life of the strings by preventing corrosion, dirt, oil, and sweat from accumulating on the strings. It’s amazing. But it’s not just the life of the string. It’s the feel and tone of the string that is improved as well. If you haven’t tried them, do yourself a favor and do so. Better yet, try them on one of our guitars!
3. A Brand-New Bridge Design
Through the years, Cort acoustics were built with this beautifully scooped bridge. In the finely finished ebony and ovangkol, they were gorgeous. In fact, it became somewhat of a trademark. It was so unique it became one way a customer could identify a Cort guitar from a distance. But as we always strive to improve our guitars, one point of interest became the bridge. It is at the bridge that the strings vibration transfers through the saddle, through the bridge, and into the top. In our research and development, we discovered that by increasing the mass of the bridge, the improvements in tone and durability were noticeable. So much so, that we were willing to drop our iconic scooped bridge design for a more neutral looking design.
4. Upgraded Tuning Buttons
The touchpoints of your guitar are important. Playing guitar is a very intimate experience and how one feels when playing the guitar can make all the difference in the world. Because of this insight, we are now transitioning all production of acoustic guitars to now be built with our new nickel-plated button for longer lasting performance and a more enjoyable player experience.
While these production changes may go unnoticed by most, we believe they reflect our ongoing commitment to building the best guitars possible. Since these updates have been implemented gradually over the past few years, you may find both older and newer spec Cort guitars in music stores. Rest assured, even if you come across an older spec Cort guitar, there is no need to hesitate in purchasing it, as it has been proven to be a high-quality instrument over decades.